Piedra Peak-Red Mountain Alunite Deposits

The Piedra Peak-Red Mountain Alunite Deposits is a aluminum mine located in Mineral county, Colorado at an elevation of 11,601 feet.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

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Site Name

Primary: Piedra Peak-Red Mountain Alunite Deposits
Secondary: Colorado Tunnel

Commodity

Primary: Aluminum
Secondary: Copper
Secondary: Lead
Tertiary: Zinc
Tertiary: Silver
Tertiary: Gold

Location

State: Colorado
County: Mineral
District: Piedra Peak-South River Peak-Red Mountain Area

Land Status

Land ownership: National Forest
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.
Administrative Organization: San Juan N. F.

Holdings

Not available

Workings

Not available

Ownership

Not available

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Occurrence
Deposit Type: Replacement
Operation Type: Unknown
Discovery Method: Ore-Mineral In Place
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N
Deposit Size: S

Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Southern Rocky Mountains

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Epithermal quartz-alunite Au

Orebody

Form: POD

Structure

Type: R
Description: San Juan Volcanic Field, La Garita Caldera

Type: L
Description: Creede Caldera, Mount Hope Caldera, Small Unnamed Intrusive Centers

Alterations

Alteration Type: L
Alteration Text: Silicification Argillization, Propylitization, Alunitization

Rocks

Name: Quartz Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Host Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Name: Quartz Latite
Role: Associated
Age Type: Associated Rock
Age Young: Oligocene

Analytical Data

Analytical Data: CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF SAMPLES (DS109) FROM SEC. 33 SHOWED LT 0.02 PPM AU, 10 TO 30 PPM CU WITH HIGH OF 100 PPM, LT 25 PPM PB, UP TO 146 PPMZN, 2 PPM MO, UP TO 10 PPM AS, 1.1 TO 5.8 PPM HG
Analytical Data: SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES GAVE 2000 TO 7000 PPM TI, UP TO 1000 PPM MN, LT 0.5 PPM AG, LT 200 PPM AS, 300 TO 1000 PPM BA, UP TO PPM CO, 20 TO 50 PPM CR, 5 TO 50 PPM CU, LT 5 PPM MO, UP TO 20 PPM NI, 10 TO 30 PPM PB, LT 100 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, 100 TO 700 PPM SR, 70 TO 200 PPM V, LT 200 PPM ZN. ROCK TYPES INCLUDED SILICIFIED, ARGILLIZED AND/OR QUARTZ-ALUNITE ROCK WITH PYRITE. SAMPLES OF PROPYLITIZED, ARGILLIC, OR QUARTZ-ALUNITE ROCK WITH PYRITE FROM SEC. 6 SHOWED LT 0.02 PPM AU, 10 TO 40 PPM CU, UP TO 200 PPM PB, UP 70 PPM ZN, 2 PPM MO, UP TO 40 PPM AS, UP TO 1.8 PPM HG: SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSES SHOWED 1000 TO 5000 PPM TI, UP TO 500 PPM MN, LT 0.5 PPM AG, LT 200 PPM AS, 200 TO 1000 PPM BA, UP TO 10 PPM CO, UP TO 30 PPM CR, 10 TO 20 PPM CU, LT 5 PPM MO, UP TO 5 PPM NI, 10 TO 300 PPM PB, LT 100 PPM SB, LT 10 PPM SN, 300 TO 400 PPM SR, 70 TO 150 PPM V, LT 200 PPM ZN.

Materials

Ore: Alunite
Gangue: Kaolinite
Gangue: Quartz
Gangue: Chlorite
Gangue: Sericite
Gangue: Pyrite

Comments

Comment (Workings): 300-FT TUNNEL

Comment (Location): Covers a fairly large area. This is not a site or individual prospect but a prospective area.

Comment (Deposit): STEVEN AND OTHERS (1969) FOUND SEVERAL SMALL INTRUSIVE PLUGS IN AREA AROUND PIEDRA PEAK. ZONATION OF ALTERATION AROUND PLUGS SHOWS OUTER WEAK PROPYLITIZATION WITH ABUNDANT CHLORITE AND DISSEMINATED PYRITE ENVELOPING MORE INTENSE ZONES OF ARGILLIZATION (KAOLINITE) AND SERICITE, ALSO WITH ABUNDANT DISSEMINATED PYRITE. MOST HIGHLY ALTERED ROCK IS SILICIFIED MASS WITH ABUNDANT ALUNITE AND WIDESPREAD PYRITE. ALUNITE DEPOSIT PROBABLY FORMED THROUGH HYDROTHERMAL AND SOLFATARIC ALTERATION AND REPLACEMENT DURING LATE STAGES OF VOLCANISM, AS DESCRIBED BY HALL (1980). ZONED PATTERN INDICATES SULFURIC ACID-CHARGED FLUIDS RISING THROUGH VENT LEACHING ACID-SOLUBLE CONSTITUENTS FROM SURROUNDING ROCKS AND PERMITTING METASOMATIC REPLACEMENT BY MINERALS OF ALTERATION SUITE.

Comment (Location): (LAND STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AREA LOCATIONS CALCULATED USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS FOR SAN JUAN N. F.). IN HEADWATERS OF EAST FORK OF RED MOUNTAIN CREEK BETWEEN PIEDRA PEAK AND SOUTH RIVER PEAK (SEC. 33 DEPOSIT). SECOND DEPOSIT LIES ON DIVIDE BETWEEN GOOSE CREEK AND BEAVER CREEK 5.5 MILES ESE OF PIEDRA PEAK. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR SAMPLE LOCALITY IN SEC. 33. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 7-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH USFS LAND OWNERSHIP BOUNDARIES, 1:126,720 SCALE. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1975

Comment (Development): AREA ORIGINALLY PROSPECTED FOR AU, BUT NO APPRECIABLE METALS FOUND. USGS ANALYZED SAMPLES DURING WILDERNESS RESOURCE EVALUATION.

References

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND LIPMAN, P.W., 1973, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE SPAR CITY QUADRANGLE, MINERAL COUNTY, COLORADO: USGS MAP GQ-1052.

Reference (Deposit): HALL, R.B., 1980, ALUNITE--A POTENTIALLY ECONOMIC SOURCE OF ALUMINUM AND POTASH?, IN SCHWOCHOW, S.D., ED., PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIFTEENTH FORUM ON GEOLOGY OF INDUSTRIAL MINERALS: CGS RESOURCE SERies 8, P. 77-88.
Pages: p. 77-88

Reference (Deposit): STEVEN, T.A., AND OTHERS, 1969, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE SAN JUAN PRIMITIVE AREA, COLORADO: USGS BULL. 1261-F, P. 80-81, 174-177.
Pages: p. 80-81, 174-177.

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